Our 23rd film at Venice is Olivier Assayas’ cold and cerebral take on modern Russian power. We unpack The Wizard of the Kremlin, starring Paul Dano as Putin’s fictional spin doctor — a slow-burn descent into political manipulation, media control, and the quiet banality of evil.

In our 18th film at Venice, we dive into Guillermo del Toro’s long-awaited Frankenstein. A haunting, gorgeous reimagining of the classic tale, this version trades jump scares for deep emotion. We unpack Oscar Isaac’s unhinged Victor, Jacob Elordi’s heartbreaking Creature, and how del Toro turns a horror icon into a story about forgiveness, grief, and what it means to be human.

Film #17 at Venice takes a softer turn — we dive into Late Fame, a gently devastating drama about lost potential, identity, and aging in a world obsessed with reinvention. Willem Dafoe is quietly brilliant. Let’s talk about it.

Film #12 at Venice is a brutal banger. We dive into No Other Choice, Park Chan-wook’s darkly hilarious capitalism thriller about a laid-off paper man who literally kills for a job. Violent, absurd, and painfully relatable — this one's got bite. Listen now. Link in bio.

We’re at the Venice Film Festival and just watched our 11th film — Luca Guadagnino’s After the Hunt. With Julia Roberts in a bold, messy role and a storyline tackling post-#MeToo academia, it had all the ingredients… but did it deliver? Let’s break down what works, what doesn’t, and why this one left us wanting more.

At the Venice Film Festival, we dive into Jay Kelly, George Clooney’s fictional alter ego in Noah Baumbach’s insider look at fame, family, and aging in Hollywood. Is it a sharp critique or just a smooth, likable stroll through celebrity life? Tune in for our take on the seventh film we saw at Venice.

We’re fresh from the Venice Film Festival with our take on Bugonia, the fifth film we’ve screened — and it’s a wild ride. Yorgos Lanthimos pits a cold-blooded CEO (Emma Stone) against an unhinged eco-extremist (Jesse Plemons) in a surreal, satirical kidnap thriller that’s as thought-provoking as it is disturbing. Let’s unpack the madness.

In our fourth Venice dispatch, we dive into Orphan, László Nemes' return to postwar Hungary with a slow-burning tale of childhood, memory, and inherited trauma. After Mother, La Grazia, and Herzog’s Ghost Elephants, we unpack how Orphan balances beauty with emotional distance — and whether it fully earns its sorrow.

We’re reporting from the Venice Film Festival, where Paolo Sorrentino’s La Grazia opened the fest with a quiet but powerful meditation on justice, mercy, and mortality. After the chaotic misfire of Mother, we dive into Sorrentino’s more composed, emotionally resonant take on political power and personal grief — and why Toni Servillo might just break your heart again.

We’re heading straight into Venice, TIFF, and NYFF — and the 2025 Oscar race is about to ignite. In this episode, we break down the biggest questions ahead of the fall fests: Will Sinners hold its ground? Can Sentimental Value keep NEON’s streak alive? And is Rental Family the TIFF sleeper hit that changes everything? Let’s get into it.